Death Is Our Gift

XVI

"Broomsticks and Bash Brothers"

Liam spent the next day in the Infirmary, as Madam Pomfrey wanted to ensure that Liam's "condition" was under control. The rest of the team had been explained to that Liam was in no serious condition and apparently no one saw anything out of the ordinary to sway that opinion. The rest of the gang brought him his homework as well as an unscheduled visit by Malcolm Weasley.

"I wanted to let you know that you're the new starting Beater," said Malcolm.

"Cool," said Liam. "What about Joshua?"

"He'll play reserve. Bernard will be starting."

"Why?" asked Liam. "Joshua is better with the bat."

"But Kyle is a better team player," said Malcolm. "Practice is this weekend. We have three weeks til our first match against Ravenclaw." Liam grumbled but accepted the older Weasley's judgement.

The following weeks flew by. Between lessons and almost daily Quidditch practices, Liam wondered where his time went. The few moments of down time were spent talking about either Quidditch or classes.

"So, what kind of broom are you going to get?" asked Sarah.

"Don't know yet," said Liam. He had been looking at 'Which Broomstick?' to see what to get but was currently putting of bringing the subject up to Willow. She had not been enthused when he told her about getting the starting position and would be less enthused by spending money on 'such a boy thing to do'.

"If you want," said Joshua, "you can borrow my Nimbus. Uncle Ron would have someone to fly it for the team."

"Save it," said Liam. "You're a reservist and knowing how Kyle's been flying during practice, you'll need your broom."

"Malcolm won't let me fly," said Joshua. "Don't even know why he let me on the team."

"Because you're good," said Ash, looking up from his latest vampire book.

"And Grandmum would be very cross and yell at him," added Sarah.

Liam decided that he couldn't put off talking with Willow any longer, so he made his way to the Library. Along the way, he was stopped by Professor Potter. "Ah, just the person I was looking for."

"Yes, sir?" said Liam.

Harry laughed. "No need to be so formal Liam. I found some things last night and thought you would be interested in them."

"Uh, okay," said Liam. He followed the Dark Arts professor into his office where Harry walked to a box sitting next to his desk. He pulled out a clipping and handed it to Liam.

"This was an interview given by your mum when she was in England the first time," he said handing the paper to Liam. Liam looked it over:

EXCLUSIVE

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SLAYER

by Luna Lovegood

The Slayer.

The one girl chosen every generation to fight the forces of evil.

The myth of the Slayer has permeated the wizarding world. Every young witch wants to grow up to be the Slayer - to fight against vampires and demons. She has been a figure of legend and lore since before the Dark Ages. But she is only a myth.

Isn't she?

The Daily Prophet can reveal, exclusively, that this years events with the resurgence of the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named brought the Slayer from myth and into reality and then into the offices of the Daily Prophet for an exclusive interview on her life, her duty, and what she does when she's not saving the world.

"Cool!" said Liam. "She must have made an impression."

"Aye," said Harry, "that she did. It was one of the few times that different parts of the magical world have come together. Unfortunately, it's never under the good circumstances." Harry reached back into the box and pulled out an album.

"When I was your age, Hagrid the groundskeeper gave me an album of pictures of my parents. He asked all their friends to send what they had and gave it to me. Since they died when I was a baby and my aunt and uncle didn't have any pictures of them, it was the first time I had ever seen them. It gave me a sense of family.

"All the times I was around you mother, there was a camera. You've seen what wizarding pictures do, so you know they can be a bit lively. Thought you would want to have a few of mum that way." He handed the album to Liam.

Liam opened the album and was greeted with a picture of him and his mother when he was a baby. Buffy was holding him in her arms, waving his tiny hand at the camera. She leaned over and kissing his forehead. Then she placed him on the ground and he quickly crawled out of the pictures.

Liam flipped through the album. There were pictures of his mother at a Quidditch match with Mrs. Granger-Weasley. She looked back over her shoulder at the camera and grabbed Hermione. Both women looked back at the camera and we smiling for it.

Liam was choked up, wiping a tear from his eye with his robe. There were a few of his mom & Professor Potter, who did not have his metallic claw or scar on his face. They were smiling and laughing together.

"You cared about her," said Liam. It wasn't a question.

"Liam, the one fundamental fact of having a destiny is that you are truly alone. You surround yourself with friends and family, but they can never truly grasp what it means to be destined. Your mother and I both had destinies, so our meeting was like finally finding someone who understood. It would be like you meeting another dhampir.

"I learned to see your mother as the deepest level of friendship that one can have. The purest form of a 'soul mate'."

"Was there..." began Liam, before Harry's laughter cut him off.

"Your mother & I were friends Liam. Nothing more, sepsite the meddling of several others who shall remain nameless. Our hearts belonged to others.

"But there is one more thing. A gift." Harry reached behind his desk and brought out a broomstick. It was deep cherry in colour with black bristles.

"This is a Flaming Arrow," said Harry. "It was a prototype that was never put into production. There are only a handful around, but seeing as how I have three others and they have all served me well for so long, I thought you could use it. It will avoid you having to go to Willow and ask for money."

"How did you know?" asked Liam, still in shock over the broom.

"Because Willow has been expecting it for some time now," said Harry with a smile.

"I... uh... wow!" said Liam.

"And there is that Summers gift of communication," said Harry.

"Thank you," was all Liam could say.

"You are more than welcome," said Harry. "Now get practicing. Ravenclaw is favored to win the cup this year and I have no intention of losing any of the money I have riding on this." Harry winked at Liam and a grinning Liam just stared at his broom.

******

The first Quidditch match of the year was held on a Saturday in late September. The weather was starting to get cold, but it wouldn't matter to Liam as the sweat began to build up on his brow.

They were only five minutes into the game, but Gryffindor was down by sixty points. It wasn't for lack of Keeping or the Chaser's scoring.

It was keeping the Bludger away from them.

Liam was impressed by the speed of the Flaming Arrow, but more impressed by the stopping ability. It gave him a chance to catch up to a Bludger, stop on a dime, and whack it. So far, his new broomstick was coming in very helpful.

Until Kyle Bernard reached a Bludger.

On two occasions Liam had hit a Bludger away from the Chaser in possession of the Quaffle, only to have Bernard hit it back towards them on accident. The last time Bernard missed the Bludger completely, allowing it to hit Cynthia Cole, the sixth-year Chaser, knocking her off her broom.

Malcolm, playing reserve Chaser, flew out onto the field and signaled for a time out. All the players came back to the ground and huddled around the benches.

"What are you doing?" yelled Gordie at Bernard. "We're getting clobbered up there and it by our own player!"

"I"m trying-"

"And you're bloody well failing," said Cynthia, cradling one arm as she was led off the field.

"Malcolm," said Liam, "put Joshua up."

"Oh no," said Malcolm. "I've got enough problems-"

"Summers is right," said Amy the Seeker. "It can't get worse and I need someone to help keep these things busy."

Liam didn't know which was greater - Malcolm's dislike of Malfoy or his like of Amy. But it was determined with a sigh. "Right. Malfoy," he yelled over his shoulder, "you're flying. Take a break Kyle." Kyle looked upset, but made his way back to the bench. Joshua jumped up, grabbed his broom, and ran over to the huddle.

"No game," said Malcolm. "Just do your job."

The whistle blew and everyone took back to the air. The Bludgers seemed to sense that there was a new Beater on the pitch and shot towards Joshua. Joshua swung and hit one of the Bludgers away from him and into the other, knocking both off course.

The pace of the game changed at that point, as did the tactics. The Ravenclaw Beaters continued to hit the Bludgers at the Chasers, but Joshua and Liam were always there to intercept. As Gryffindor began to catch up, Ravenclaw began to get frustrated.

At one point, one of the Ravenclaw Beaters hit the Bludger at the Gryffindor Keeper Gabe Wrath. The whistle blew for the foul and Gordie set up for the penalty shot. Joshua flew over to Liam and yelled, "Grandmum's here!"

"Where?" responded Liam with a yell. Joshua pointed to the faculty box. Liam looked over and saw Professor Potter, Willow, and a plump older woman with red hair now streaked with white. They were chatting amongst themselves, and pointing to the field. As the whistle blew that Gordie made the goal, Liam returned his focus to the game.

The score was soon tied. Liam and Joshua continued their dual defense against the Bludgers, and now against the Ravenclaw Beaters. The crowd suddenly gasped as Liam saw Amy and the Ravenclaw seeker chasing the Snitch. Unfortunately, Amy was trailing.

Liam focused on the Bludger heading up towards them. The Ravenclaw Seeker would catch the Snitch by then, but Liam had a plan. He flew towards the Bludger and hit it towards the oncoming Seekers, speeding up its time to intercept with them.

The Ravenclaw Seeker saw the Bludger coming and turned to the right.

The Snitch turned to the left.

Amy followed the Snitch, as did the Bludger, which Amy just noticed. From no where, Joshua flew in and hit the Bludger. The Snitch tried to double back on itself and straight into Amy's hand. The crowd went wild and a chant of "Go, Go Gryffindor" filled the arena.

Liam flew over to Joshua who was floating in the air catching his breath. "Hella move!" said Liam.

"You set it up," said Joshua. "I just put the final touches on it."

Liam smiled. "Worthy of the Bash Brothers."

"Huh?" asked Joshua.

"Mighty Ducks. Tell ya about it later." They both slowly descended to the ground where the rest of the team was celebrating.

Amy came over and hugged them both. "Scared me up there," she said, "but that was a wicked move."

"Bash Brothers at your service," Joshua said with a fake bow. Liam just looked at him. "What?" replied Joshua. "I like the ring to it, even if I don't know what a Mighty Duck is."

"You both could've hurt someone," said Malcolm sternly.

"Malcolm Arthur Weasley!" came a voice from behind them. They all turned to see Joshua & Malcolm's grandmother storming toward them, being chased by Professor Potter and Willow. "I will have you know that was one of the most brilliant maneuvers I have seen on a pitch. And I have seen five generations of Weasley's play."

Malcolm looked down at his feet. Few things could get a Weasley male, regardless of age, embarrassed and the number one thing was getting yelled at by Grandmum. "Good job Malfoy. You too Summers."

Molly Weasley walked over and gave Joshua a hug. Joshua returned the hug and looked to Liam. "Grandmum, this is-"

"Young Liam Summers," said Mrs. Weasley with a grin. "You were just a wee thing the last time I saw you."

Liam shifted a bit, hoping this would not get embarrassing and involve diaper changing stories, when Willow gave him a hug. "You did great!" she said. "But you did make me a bit nervous-"

"Bit?" questioned Professor Potter. "I still don't have feeling in my hand."

Willow just glared at him. "I was nervous. No one cares about your hand."

"I don't want to have to replace the other one," Harry said with a smile.

******

The sun was beginning to set, but the deadly rays of light did not penetrate the office through the open windows. She looked out at the city and grinned, remembering when Los Angeles was nothing more than a mission.

"Now," said the young man in the expensive suit sitting on the other side of the office desk. "Miss.. uh..."

"Cathasaigh," said the vampire.

"Miss Cathasaigh, we have reviewed your claim-"

"Claim?" she asked. "I am simply entitled to my brother's ashes."

"But at the time of his death," said the lawyer, "your brother was in the employment of Wolfram & Hart. As per our agreements with all employees, Wolfram & Hart retains the essences, spirits, remains and any other-"

"Sir," Cathasaigh said. "I think you're missing my point. I *want* my brother's ashes."

"And as nearest living relative," came the voice from the door. The vampire turned to look to see the speaker, an older bald man with thick black glasses, looking back at her from the doorway. "But Mister Jenkins here is just doing his job."

"His job is to keep me from what I want?" asked the vampire. The older man nodded.

Cathasaigh turned to Jenkins, her demonic face in place. In a heartbeat, which would proved to be Jenkins' last, she grabbed his tie and dragged him from his chair. She quickly clamped onto his neck and began to drain his life.

When his body was dead, the vampire stood up, dropping the body to the oak desk. She turned to face the older man, who was walking over and handing her his handkerchief from his breast pocket. She wiped the few spare drops of blood off her face.

"So," she said, offering the handkerchief back to the older man, who wave it off, "do I receive what I've come for, or should I have a second course?"

"The later would not be advisable," said the older man.

"And why would that be..."

"Reed," said the older man. "Nathan Reed. The reason is that my blood has been enchanted to give it properties similar to holy water with regards to ingestion by vampires and other creatures that live off blood. And I would not want to see anything happen to you."

"Your concern, Mister Reed is most becoming of a barrister of your stature."

"No need for flattery," said Reed. "The ashes were yours all along. The Senior Partners approved it personally."

"And him?" she asked, pointing the body of Jenkins.

"Jenkins was scheduled to be terminated later this week. So thank you for taking care of that issue for us." Reed walked over to a bookshelf and took an ornate vase from it. He took the vase back and handed it to the vampire.

"Now," Reed said, "if you will permit me to ask a few questions so that we may clarify a few things in the record. The Senior Partners know of your intentions, but have concerns about their execution."

"The Scrolls of Osiris have been obtained and translated," said Cathasaigh. "While I was unable to procure an authentic dijin blade, I have possession of the Dagger of Fangs and will be leaving shortly to obtain the Eyes."

"Interesting choice of substitution," said Reed.

"Indeed. And considering where the child is, almost appropriate."

"And where would that be?"

"Hogwarts."

Reed's eyes widened. "Very interesting development. And how will you obtain him, as Dumbledore is not likely to let him leave in his aunt's care."

Cathasaigh smiled and opened her purse, pulling out an old letter with the Hogwart's seal on it. "They never revoked their invitation," she replied.

Reed clapped his hands together. "Then I can see you are ready to begin. I shouldn't keep you any longer, but the Senior Partners wished me to give you something to aid you on your mission." He reached into his pocket and pulled two vials which appeared to contain ashes.

"The first is some of the remains of your late mother." It was the vampire's turn to be shocked. "Our research department has concluded that the ritual will not be effected by the addition of other remains. In fact, they seem to think that it will enhance the nature of the resurrected form.

"The second is a bit of essence from another resurrection that did not go as planned. This is from La Magra."

"The Blood God," said Cathasaigh, looking at the red tinge of the ashes.

"The Senior Partners thought you would approve," said Reed.

"Aye," said the vampire, a twinge of a long forgotten Irish accent coming through. "That I do."

"Well, upon your success we will be in contact. We might have need of your brother once again."

"And after I am done with him, you are more than welcome to him."

Reed smiled. "We will keep that in mind."